America’s former first daughter Ivanka Trump, who acted as a senior adviser to her father Donald Trump during his tumultuous four years as US president, shut her eponymous fashion label not long after entering the White House.
According to various reports, her brand had been struggling for quite some time and the decision wasn’t a difficult one for Ivanka, who is unlikely to reopen the business after leaving Washington.
She is said to be planning her own move into politics.
Ivanka’s failure as a fashion entrepreneur, however, doesn’t mean that she isn’t skilled at playing the fashion diplomacy game, as these outfits from some key milestone events during her tenure at the White House demonstrate.
For her father’s inauguration in Washington in January 2017, Ivanka wore a white pantsuit from US label Oscar de La Renta. Often referred to as suffragette white, the colour has long been associated with women in politics and was also a favourite of Hillary Clinton.
She chose a frothy confection from US brand Carolina Herrera to attend the Liberty Ball, also held on the occasion of Trump’s inauguration. The champagne-coloured dress featured bedazzled, sheer long sleeves and a deep V-neck with a full A-line skirt.
Ivanka wore a very conservative all-black skirt suit to meet the Pope at the Vatican in Rome in 2017. She paired the outfit with a black lace veil, or a mantilla, a sign of modesty.
For a trip to Westminster Abbey in London during a state visit to Britain in 2019, Ivanka wore another headpiece, this time a fascinator from hat maker Philip Treacy. She paired it with a pleated white skirt and matching peplum jacket by London-based designer Alessandra Rich.
The state visit to Britain included a reception at 10 Downing Street, the residence of the British prime minister. Ivanka chose a British brand for the occasion, wearing a black-and-white dotted chiffon dress from Burberry.
It’s rare to see Ivanka let her guard down but she looked like a true sports fan at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She wore a ski outfit bearing the colours of the US flag.
Clad in a khaki trench coat paired with matching sweater and trousers, Ivanka looked very businesslike but still chic as she got ready to leave the White House with senior adviser Stephen Miller for a trip to the US state of Ohio.
This nautical-inspired navy dress with a rope detail at the neckline from Oscar de la Renta is one of Ivanka’s best outfits from her Washington years. She wore it to welcome French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte during a state visit to Washington in 2018.
Ivanka chose a creation from California-based brand Rodarte for a state dinner with Macron and his wife at the White House during that same state visit. The ruffled gown featured a polka dot pattern and was embellished with a floral bouquet at the waist.
Ivanka is not usually the pantsuit type, but she definitely nailed the look with this red pantsuit, which she wore on the White House lawn to board Marine One for a trip to Tampa, Florida in 2018.
While meeting female farmers in Morocco in 2019, Ivanka wore an outfit featuring traditional Moroccan motifs to pay homage to the host country.
The following year, on a state visit to India, she also celebrated her host country with her outfit choice. She wore a sherwani made of handwoven silk paired with matching trousers from Indian designer Anita Dongre.
For one of her most high-profile public appearances before the 2020 US presidential election – the Republican Convention in Washington – she kept things straightforward with a simple black dress, a stark contrast to First Lady Melania’s fluorescent green dress from Valentino.
